Strategic Guide to Shoptalk Fall 2024: Six Key Themes Shaping Retail’s Future

Introduction

Coresight Research is a research partner of Shoptalk Fall 2024, which will take place during October 16–18 in Chicago, Illinois. Shoptalk Fall is a new conference that builds on the success of the annual Shoptalk event held earlier in the year (which has been rebranded as Shoptalk Spring). The conference will convene executives from retailers, consumer-facing brands and technology vendors, uniting both physical stores and e-commerce to discuss the latest trends, innovations, challenges and opportunities in the industry.

In this essential guide to the event, we highlight notable sessions for attendees across six major themes, as identified by the Shoptalk team. All times in this report are Central Time (CT; local time of the event).

Complementing this guide, the Coresight Research Retaili$tic podcast previewed Shoptalk Fall in an episode released on October 2, 2024 (S4, Ep38). Tune in to hear insights from Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder of Coresight Research, on a range of critical retail topics!

To ensure you don’t miss out on critical insights, we will provide daily coverage of the conference on coresight.com. Coresight Research will also publish a wrap-up report on everything you need to know from Shoptalk Fall 2024 after the event.

A Guide to Shoptalk Fall 2024: Coresight Research Insights

Shoptalk’s newest event, Shoptalk Fall, is set to showcase more than 140 executives as speakers across its 40+ sessions. These industry leaders will delve into crucial business topics, including shifting customer journeys, unified retail strategies, product innovations and evolving industry dynamics. Tying the conference together, the overall theme of the event is “Retail’s Mission: Possible,” reflecting Shoptalk’s mission to help attendees identify the signal in the noise of the vast quantities of data, news and other information we all confront today. Shoptalk’s organizers believe that with the right combination of human ingenuity and technology prowess, this industry can achieve anything!

Highly anticipated Mainstage Keynote speakers include the following:

• Sharon Price John, CEO, Build-A-Bear Workshop
• Kyle Leahy, CEO, Glossier
• Jennifer Wilson, SVP, Chief Marketing Officer, Lowe’s
• Michelle Gansle, Global Chief Data and Analytics Officer, and Allegra Krishnan, Global Chief Loyalty & Engagement Officer, McDonald’s Corporation
• Jennifer Hyman, Co-Founder & CEO, Rent the Runway
• Christina Hennington, EVP, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, Target
• Kecia Steelman, President & Chief Operating Officer, Ulta Beauty

Notable Sessions Across Six Major Themes

Shoptalk Fall will provide crucial insights into the dynamic retail environment, with the agenda tackling pressing challenges directly and highlighting innovative strategies employed by influential executives to overcome them. It encompasses the latest technologies, trends and business models, reflecting the rapid transformation of how consumers explore, shop and make purchases across all of todays’ many digital and physical retail channels.

Below, we present the six major themes and related notable sessions shaping Shoptalk Fall’s 2024 agenda.

1. Conquering Unified Commerce

Unified commerce is the next step on a maturity model beyond omnichannel, putting the customer at the core of retail businesses. Today, consumers exhibit diverse shopping behaviors, often utilizing multiple channels to make their purchases. According to a Coresight Research survey conducted in July 2024, nearly two-thirds (65.8%) of US consumers use multiple channels (such as online, in-store and mobile apps) to some degree when shopping, indicating a strong consumer preference for flexible shopping options and a readiness to embrace a fully integrated shopping experience.

Coresight Research believes that retailers with established omnichannel operations should begin their journey toward unified commerce if they have not already done so. Those who have not yet reached omnichannel maturity risk falling behind advancing competitors in this space. Brands and retailers can progress to unified commerce by leveraging advanced technologies to create a more comprehensive and integrated customer experience. This approach links back-end systems with customer-facing channels via a single, centralized platform. Such integration enables the real-time exchange of customer data as well as product, inventory and order details across all sales channels, creating a holistic view of shopper interactions and ensuring consistency in customer experiences.

At Shoptalk Fall, sessions under this theme will explore how retailers can master unified commerce to transform their businesses as well as tactical frameworks for the near-term adoption of integrated retail solutions.

Below, we present notable sessions related to this theme.

Time	Session	Track	Speakers/Panelists
Wednesday, October 16
3:00 p.m.– 3:45 p.m.	New Research on Optimizing Store Experiences and Locations for Unified Commerce	The Intelligence Room: Mastering Unified Commerce	Melissa Gonzalez, Founder, The Lionesque Group, Principal, MG2 Rebecca Fitts, SVP, Business Strategy, Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions
3:55 p.m.– 4:40 p.m.	Optimizing the Sales Channel Mix	The Intelligence Room: Mastering Unified Commerce	Michael McGoohan, President, Solo Stove & Chief Growth Officer, Solo Brands Sarah Zurell, Chief Marketing Officer, Chinese Laundry (Cels Brands) Ryan Close, Founder & CEO, Bartesian Taryn Jones Laeben, President & Founder, IRL Ventures (Interviewer)
4:50 p.m.– 5:35 p.m.	Tools and Tactics to Enhance Product Discovery Across Channels	The Intelligence Room: Mastering Unified Commerce	Sarah Post, VP, Interconnected Experience, Home Depot Amber Turley, VP, Omni Convenience & Commerce Partnerships, Sephora Marina Sukhova, Head of Digital Merchandising, Consumer Products Division, L’Oreal USA, L’Oréal Karen Lellouche Tordjman, Managing Director & Senior Partner, Boston Consulting Group (Interviewer)
Thursday, October 17
9:00 a.m.–9:45 a.m.	Track Keynote: Building Best-in-Class Unified Customer Experiences	The Intelligence Room: Mastering Unified Commerce	Danielle Schmelkin, Chief Information Officer, J.Crew Group Adam Goldenberg, Co-Founder & CEO, Fabletics Sarah Engel, President, January Digital (Interviewer)
9:55 a.m.–10:40 a.m.	Influencing and Measuring the Cross-Channel Customer Journey	The Intelligence Room: Mastering Unified Commerce	Tejas Kapadia, VP & Head of Marketing, Tira Justin Low, Chief Marketing Officer, Arcade1Up Wilson Fong, Co-Founder, Stretch & Partner, Contino New York (Interviewer)
3:50 p.m.–4:35 p.m.	Best-in-Class Post-Purchase Experiences	The Intelligence Room: Mastering Unified Commerce	Breanna Moreno, VP, Customer Experience, True Classic Christine Sio, VP, Customer Experience, Ssense Mimi Swain, Chief Commercial Officer, Ring & Blink (Amazon) Mark Abraham, Managing Director & Senior Partner, Boston Consulting Group (Interviewer)
4:45 p.m.– 5:30 p.m.	Spotlight on Cutting-Edge Technology Solutions: Unifying the Shopping Experience	The Intelligence Room: Mastering Unified Commerce	Julian Mills, Co-Founder & CEO, Quorso Jose Luis-Gomes, Managing Director, Retail & CPG Google Cloud, Google Amish Tolia, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Leap Dan LeBlanc, Co-Founder & CEO, Daasity Anne Mezzenga, Co-CEO, Omni Talk (Interviewer)
Friday, October 18
11:15 a.m.– 12:00 p.m.	Saving the Store Experience	The Intelligence Room: Mastering Unified Commerce	Heather Bennett, EVP, Marketing & E-commerce, The Michaels Companies, Inc. Jill Renslow, Chief Marketing Officer, Mall of America Brandon Kaplan, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Journey Chris Walton, Co-CEO, Omni Talk (Interviewer)
1:15 p.m.– 2:00 p.m.	Building a Tech Stack for Unified Commerce	The Intelligence Room: Mastering Unified Commerce	Dara Meath, SVP, Chief Technology Officer, Build-A-Bear Workshop Sam Buckingham, VP, Global Digital Product, Keen Footwear Poonam Goyal, Sector Head & Senior Research Retail Analyst, Bloomberg (Interviewer)
2:10 p.m.– 2:55 p.m.	Achieving Success through Cross-Functional Collaboration	The Intelligence Room: Mastering Unified Commerce	Alison Hiatt, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer, Vera Bradley Nina Khoury, VP, Strategic Operations, Skims Erin Wendte, EVP, North America, Zumiez Matthew Adam Smith, Founder & CEO, Two Isaacs (Interviewer)

Related Coresight Research reports:

• From Omnichannel to Unified Commerce: Elevating Cross-Channel Customer Experiences to the Next Level
• Shoptalk Europe 2024 Wrap-Up: Retailers as Data Firms, Fueling Retail Media, Unified Commerce and Generative AI Applications

2. Designing an Optimal Product Assortment

In an era of fast-changing customer tastes and preferences, inventory and supply chain risks, heightened sensitivity and microscopic focus on missteps, brands must be laser-focused on curating the perfect product assortment. Like other parts of retail organizations, merchandising teams need to be more agile and data-driven than they have been in the past. GenAI (generative artificial intelligence) can accelerate the product-design process in terms of both ideation and visualization. Coresight Research estimates that the global GenAI applications market (GenAI vendors’ estimated revenues) totals $19.2 billion in 2024 and will grow quickly over the next few years, to $87.9 billion in 2028.

Shoptalk Fall will explore how brands and retailers can formulate a clear strategy centered on next-generation product innovation and design, including co-creation, collaboration and other agile strategies, along with winning product assortment strategies. Sessions will also cover the latest technology solutions facilitating data-enhanced merchandising.

Below, we present notable sessions related to this theme.

Time	Session	Track	Speakers/Panelists
Thursday, October 17
9:00 a.m.– 9:45 a.m.	Agile Product Design: Co-Creation and More	The Decryption Room: Crafting the Right Product Assortment	André Zdanow, President, FirstBuild, GE Appliances (A Haier Company) Masako Konishi, Chief Merchandising Officer, Forever 21 Natalie Mackey, CEO, Winky Lux
9:55 a.m.– 10:40 a.m.	Winning Product Assortment Strategies that Boost Profits and Satisfy Customers	The Decryption Room: Crafting the Right Product Assortment	Denise Incandela, EVP, Fashion & Private Brands, Walmart US, Walmart Emily Erusha-Hilleque, SVP, Private Brands, Macy’s Lee Mayer, Co-Founder & CEO, Havenly Liza Amlani, Principal & Founder, Retail Strategy Group (Interviewer)
3:50 p.m.– 4:35 p.m.	Product Innovation and Marketing: Standout Collaborations, Drops and More	The Decryption Room: Crafting the Right Product Assortment	Melissa Worth, SVP, Americas, New Balance Erica Malbon, Co-Founder & CEO, Malbon Golf Curan Mehra, Founder & CEO, Hayden Products Laura Brookhiser, Managing Director & Partner, L.E.K. Consulting (Interviewer)
4:45 p.m.– 5:30 p.m.	Spotlight on Cutting-Edge Technology Solutions: Product and Merchandising	The Decryption Room: Crafting the Right Product Assortment	Kristin Savilia, CEO, JOOR James Theuerkauf, Co-Founder & CEO, Syrup Tech Jay Hakami, President & CEO, SKYPAD Rebecca Xing, CEO, Trustana Matt Nichols, Partner, Commerce Ventures (Interviewer)

Related Coresight Research reports:

• Revolutionize Your Product Launch Strategy: Leveraging Generative AI Applications for Enhanced Speed and Profitability
• Digital Merchandising Strategies: The Power of Automation and 3D Product Imagery in Retail

3. Developing Efficient and Successful Teams and Retail Businesses

Brands and retailers have a wealth of opportunities to build efficient businesses by capitalizing on global retail trends, investing in automation technologies (such as implementing robots in warehouses/fulfillment centers), finding ways to improve operational efficiency (which often has the side benefit of enhancing sustainability), and embracing more collaborative ways of working within and across teams. For instance, going forward, brands and retailers should increasingly turn to innovative technologies to help them in their journey to sustainability: Coresight Research projects that the global green technology market (innovative technologies used to minimize negative impacts on the environment while promoting economic growth and social wellbeing, such as clean-energy delivery vehicles and smart building technology) totaled $282 billion in 2023 and will grow at a CAGR of 15.0% through 2027.

Shoptalk Fall will explore key trends in global trade, supply chain resilience and cutting-edge technologies that boost operational efficiency. Sessions will also dive into case studies showcasing successful operations initiatives, new research on fulfillment and delivery strategies, “intelligent” inventory planning, and the power of automation to optimize operations.

Below, we present notable sessions relevant to this theme.

Time	Session	Track	Speakers/Panelists
Wednesday, October 16
3:00 p.m.–3:45 p.m.	Track Keynote: Managing Change During Disrupted Times	The Lab: Leading Successful Teams and Organizations	James Reinhart, Co-Founder & CEO, ThredUp Suze Dowling, Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer, Pattern Brands Sarah Engel, President, January Digital (Interviewer)
3:55 p.m.–4:40 p.m.	Track Keynote: Fostering a Culture of Experimentation in Large Organizations	The Lab: Leading Successful Teams and Organizations	Siobhán Mc Feeney, Chief Technology & Digital Officer, Kohl’s Joe Laszlo, Head of Content, US, Shoptalk (Interviewer)
			Rebecca Wooters, Chief Digital Officer, Signet Baz Saidieh, Global Partner, Antler VC (Interviewer)
4:50 p.m.–5:35 p.m.	Leading Successfully Across Generations, Genders and Cultures	The Lab: Leading Successful Teams and Organizations	Mimi Swain, Chief Commercial Officer, Ring & Blink (Amazon) Shannon Garcia, Global Chief Operating & Digital + Technology Officer – Pizza Hut, Yum! Brands Jessica Alsing, Chief Digital Officer, Grendene Global Brands Kimberly Lee Minor, CEO, Women of Color Retail Alliance (WOCRA) (Interviewer)
Thursday, October 17
9:00 a.m.– 9:45 p.m.	Rapid Fire: Major Trends in Global Trade and the Supply Chain	The Lab: Building Efficient Retail Businesses	Brian Houck, Partner, US Supply Chain Practice Leader, PwC Sara Ittelson, Partner, Accel Lora Cecere, Founder, Supply Chain Insights HG O’Connell, Content Director, Shoptalk (Interviewer)
9:55 a.m.– 10.40 p.m.	Tools, Tactics and Structures that Enable Supply Chain Resiliency	The Lab: Building Efficient Retail Businesses	Larry Grischow, EVP, Supply Chain & Procurement, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Rick DiMaio, EVP, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Ace Hardware Janie Yu, Partner, LFX Venture Partners (Interviewer)
3:50 p.m.– 4:35 p.m.	Case Studies: Highlighting Ops Initiatives that Increase Efficiency and Sustainability	The Lab: Building Efficient Retail Businesses	Irene Quarshie, SVP, Global Supply Chain & Logistics, Target Katherine Homuth, Founder & CEO, SRTX Heather Skidmore Howard, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Rothy’s
4:45 p.m.– 5:30 p.m.	Spotlight on Cutting-Edge Technology Solutions: Boosting Operational Efficiencies	The Lab: Building Efficient Retail Businesses	Dee Murthy, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Ghost Ronak Trivedi, Co-Founder & CEO, Pietra Amena Ali, CEO, Optoro Dhruv Saxena, Co-Founder & CEO, ShipBob Harshida Acharya, Partner & Chief Strategy Officer, Fulfillment IQ (Interviewer)
Friday, October 18
11:15 a.m.– 12:00 p.m.	New Research on Optimal Fulfillment and Delivery Strategies and Footprints	The Lab: Building Efficient Retail Businesses	Matt Garfield, Managing Director, Retail & Consumer Products, FTI Consulting Julie Cheney, VP, Retail Consulting, enVista
1:15 p.m.– 2:00 p.m.	Intelligent Inventory Planning: Optimizing Quantity, Pricing and Location	The Lab: Building Efficient Retail Businesses	David Guggina, EVP, Supply Chain, Walmart Alissa Ahlman, Chief Merchandising Officer, American Freight Leila Jalai, SVP, Global Planning & Inventory Management, David Yurman Amanda Astrologo, Senior Partner, The Parker Avery Group (Interviewer)

Related Coresight Research reports:

• Supply Chain Optimization with Web3: Unlocking the Potential of Intelligent Retail
• How Data Sharing and Collaboration Can Accelerate Decision-Making and Enhance Sustainability
• Retail-Tech Landscape: Robotics and Automation
• Business Planning and Forecasting: Setting Up for Success Amid Rising Economic Volatility
• The Future of Pricing: How AI Is Transforming Price Planning in Retail
• All our coverage of sustainability

4. Unlocking New Growth Opportunities

In today’s dynamic landscape, brands and retailers can elevate their business and create standout customer experiences by understanding shifting consumer preferences, unlocking new business growth opportunities and crafting engaging digital shopping experiences.

For instance, retail media presents a huge opportunity in the current retail landscape: Coresight Research estimates that the US retail media market will grow at a CAGR of 13.8% between 2023 and 2028, from $38.8 billion to $73.9 billion. An August 2023 Coresight Research survey of 160 US-based CPG/FMCG brand manufacturers found that, on average, brand advertisers used six retail media networks (RMNs) over the 12 months prior to the survey. Demand for data is robust: Retailers can generate $1–5 million from data monetization for every $1 billion they earn in revenue, we estimate.

At Shoptalk Fall, sessions under this theme will cover how retailers can expand into global markets effectively, how strategic partnerships unlock new opportunities, and how they are implementing innovative store designs. Discussion will also dive into the retail media revolution, the alignment of marketing with organizational goals, the evolving social commerce arena, and cutting-edge marketing technology solutions that brands can leverage to reach both new and existing customers effectively.

Below, we present notable sessions relevant to this theme.

Time	Session	Track	Speakers/Panelists
Wednesday, October 16
3:00 p.m.–3:45 p.m.	Fresh Research on Changing Customer Preferences and Demands	The Decryption Room: Standout Customer Experiences	Brendan Witcher, VP & Principal Analyst, Forrester Jacqueline Flam, SVP, Beauty, Drug & OTC Retail, NielsenIQ
3:00 p.m.–3:45 p.m.	New Insights on Unlocking Retail Growth	The Radar Room: Growing the Business	Michelle Evans, Global Lead of Retail & Digital Consumer Insights, Euromonitor Holden Bale, Global Head of Experience & Commerce, Merkle (a Dentsu Company)
3:55 p.m.– 4:40 p.m.	Track Keynote: Digital Shopping Experiences that Engage Shoppers	The Decryption Room: Standout Customer Experiences	Alicia Waters, President, Crate & Barrel and Crate & Kids, Crate & Barrel Amanda Sabreah, Founder & CEO, Thought Factory (Interviewer)
	Digital Shopping Experiences that Engage Shoppers		Jaime Ramirez, Chief Product Officer and SVP, E-Commerce Services, Falabella Joe Megibow, CEO, Casper Amanda Sabreah, Founder & CEO, Thought Factory (Interviewer)
3:55 p.m.– 4:40 p.m.	Expanding into New Global Markets: Partnerships, Marketplaces and More	The Radar Room: Growing the Business	Daniel Martinez, Global Retail Director, Farm Rio Chris Lyn-Sue, Head of Global Marketing, Papa Johns Kristin Hamilton, SVP, E-commerce, Crunchyroll Valerie de Charette, Partner, TOMORROW (Interviewer)
4:50 p.m.– 5:35 p.m.	Innovative Store Concepts and Designs that Delight Shoppers	The Decryption Room: Standout Customer Experiences	Anna Harman, Co-Founder & CEO, Studs Adam Katz, Global Head of Physical Retail, Wayfair Troy Dunmire, Chief Stores Officer, Party City Kate Hardcastle, MBE, Broadcaster & The Customer Whisperer, Insight with Passion Consultancy (Interviewer)
4:50 p.m.– 5:35 p.m.	Seizing the Retail Media Opportunity Without Sacrificing the Customer Experience	The Radar Room: Growing the Business	Aaron Dunford, VP, Nordstrom Media, Nordstrom Stephenie Cattonar, Head of Strategy & Analytics, Orange Apron Media, Home Depot Jennifer Andre, Vice President, Business Development, Expedia Group Media Solutions, Expedia Kurt Staelens, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting (Interviewer)
Thursday, October 17
9:00 a.m.–9:45 a.m.	Track Keynote: The CMO Perspective on Connecting Marketing to the Broader Organization	The Radar Room: Growing the Business	Behnaz Ghahramani, Chief Marketing Officer, Old Navy Zia Wigder, Chief Content Officer, EMARKETER (Interviewer)
9:55 p.m.– 10:40 p.m.	Setting Priorities in the Changing Social Commerce Landscape	The Radar Room: Growing the Business	Michelle Peterson, Chief Marketing Officer, Kendra Scott Steven Tristan Young, Chief Marketing Officer, Poshmark Marisa Runyon, US Head of Creative Content, Shein Tina Manikas, President, Omnicom Commerce (Interviewer)
3:50 p.m.– 4:35 p.m.	Full-Funnel Marketing Tactics for Today’s Retail Environment	The Radar Room: Growing the Business	Kristen D’Arcy, Chief Marketing Officer, True Religion Stacy Malone, VP, Global Business Marketing, Pinterest Lee Sterling, Chief Marketing Officer, Simon Property Group Sam Tomlinson, EVP, Strategy & Analytics, Warchawski (Interviewer)
4:45 p.m.– 5:30 p.m.	Spotlight on Cutting-Edge Technology Solutions: Reaching New and Existing Customers Effectively	The Radar Room: Growing the Business	Liz Giorgi, Co-Founder & CEO, Soona James Alger, Co-Founder & COO, Qloo Djalal Lougouev, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Ometria Glenn Fishback, Co-Founder & CEO, Shopsense AI Molly Hop, EVP, Marketing, Havas Media Network (Interviewer)

Related Coresight Research reports:

• Market Navigator: US Retail and E-Commerce—Uncovering Opportunities in a Changing Landscape
• Retail Media: (Almost) Everything We Heard at Shoptalk Europe 2024
• RetailTech: Frictionless Check-In—Seamless Shopping Starts with Store Entry Through Biometrics and More
• More coverage of retail media

5. Loyalty and Brand Trust

In today’s competitive retail environment, building loyalty and brand trust is essential for sustaining growth, differentiating from competitors and creating long-term value. Showcasing that loyalty programs can effectively incentivize customers to increase their spending and drive higher sales for retailers, a Coresight Research survey in March 2024 found that more than half of US consumers who are members of a retail loyalty program have spent more with a brand or retailer since joining their loyalty program.

Coresight Research believes that to enhance brand recognition and gain consumers’ trust, brands and retailers should look to deliver consistent quality in products and services, foster engagement through personalized communication and loyalty programs, ensure transparency in products and pricing and leverage technology, such as data analytics, to tailor their products in response to changing customer behavior and preferences.

Shoptalk Fall sessions centered on building customer loyalty and brand trust will explore the strategies that organizations can employ to stay abreast of shifting consumer behaviors and build a dedicated customer following, regardless of the different routes that shoppers may take when making a purchase.

Below, we present notable sessions relevant to this theme.

Time	Session	Track	Speakers/Panelists
Friday, October 18
11:15 a.m.– 12:00 p.m.	Track Keynote: Next Generation Powerhouse Brands	The Decryption Room: Loyalty and Brand Trust	Ellen Bower, CEO, Ever/Body
1:15 p.m.– 2:00 p.m.	Building Customer Trust and Brand Loyalty	The Decryption Room: Loyalty and Brand Trust	Luciano Rodembusch, General Manager, SVP, North America, Pandora Christoph Frehsee, Managing Director, North America, Tonies Tara Paton, Founder & Lead Consultant, TP & Co. (Interviewer)
2:10 p.m.– 2:55 p.m.	Case Studies: Personalization Tactics that Increase Customer Loyalty and Lifetime Value	The Decryption Room: Loyalty and Brand Trust	Anne Smith, VP, Global Loyalty Marketing, Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International Bradley Breuer, VP, Loyalty & CRM, PetSmart Kyle Clark, SVP, Merchant Loyalty, Mastercard

Related Coresight Research reports:

• E-Commerce for the Modern Consumer: Building Trust in a Digital Age
• Think Tank: US Retail Loyalty Programs—Redefining Customer Engagement

6. AI and the Changing Data Landscape

Understanding and capitalizing on AI and the evolving data landscape are critical for the success of brands and retailers. By harnessing AI’s data analytics capabilities, retailers can predict consumer behavior, optimize supply chains, personalize marketing efforts and even automate customer service.

The changing data landscape, characterized by the growing availability of real-time and granular data, enables brands to gain deeper insights into customer preferences, purchasing patterns and emerging shopping trends. Retailers that effectively leverage tools such as AI and data analytics can stay ahead of the competition by offering more targeted products, improving customer satisfaction and increasing operational efficiency.

The Shoptalk Fall sessions under this theme will dive into dynamic perspectives on the AI landscape, strategic implementation of data and AI across the organization, and powerful applications of GenAI that fuel growth.

Below, we present notable sessions relevant to this theme.

Time	Session	Track	Speakers/Panelists
Friday, October 18
11:15 a.m.– 12:00 p.m.	Rapid-Fire Insights from Investors: Perspectives on the AI Landscape	The Radar Room: AI and the Changing Data Landscape	Aron Bohlig, Founder & Managing Partner, ComCap LLC Scott Friend, Partner, Bain Capital Ventures Tessa Flippin, Founder & Managing Partner, Capitalize VC Debra Aho Williamson, Chief Analyst, Sonata Insights (Interviewer)
1:15 p.m.– 2:00 p.m.	Implementing a Data and AI Strategy Across the Organization	The Radar Room: AI and the Changing Data Landscape	Wendi Eriksen, SVP, Chief Data Officer, The Wendy’s Company Aurelian Lis, CEO, Dermalogica Adam Pressman, Partner & Managing Director, AlixPartners (Interviewer)
2:10 p.m.– 5:55 p.m.	Case Studies: Applications of Generative AI that Drive Growth	The Radar Room: AI and the Changing Data Landscape	Bo Wildman Finneman, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company Tess Kornfield, VP, Product & Data Science, ThredUp

Related Coresight Research reports:

• Playbook: Six Quick Wins in Generative AI
• Revolutionize Your Product Launch Strategy: Leveraging Generative AI Applications for Enhanced Speed and Profitability
• Retail 2024: US E-Commerce Technology Trends—Generative AI, Retail Media and Other Revenue-Generating Opportunities To Transform the Online Landscape
• More research reports on GenAI

What We Think

With its “Retail’s Mission: Possible” mantra, Shoptalk Fall 2024 will empower brands and retailers to stay ahead of industry trends and embrace the future of retail. The sessions across those six key themes are designed to offer deep insights and actionable strategies that elevate operational efficiency, enhance customer experiences and cultivate lasting customer loyalty in the ever-evolving retail industry.

The Shoptalk spotlight will focus on the need to master unified commerce, the importance of prioritizing product, pricing and marketing innovations, adopting customer-centric approaches and maintaining adaptability across teams and departments. These elements are essential for consumer brands and retailers aiming to navigate challenges and seize opportunities in today’s dynamic retail landscape.

Implications for Brands/Retailers

• Participating brands and retailers can discover the latest trends and technological advancements from both disruptive new market entrants and successful incumbents, gaining valuable knowledge to integrate cutting-edge technologies such as AI and data analytics. Technology solutions offer the potential to revolutionize business processes, boost operational efficiency and maintain a competitive edge.
• Shoptalk Fall offers a platform for brands and retailers to connect with tech innovators, industry leaders and fellow businesses, opening doors to potential collaborations, partnerships and insights into evolving industry dynamics.
• To strengthen brand identity and foster consumer trust, brands and retailers should prioritize transparency, sustainability and brand management. Additionally, enhancing both online and offline channels, delivering personalized experiences and refining the customer journey will be key to building lasting customer loyalty.

Brands or Retailers Poised To Gain Advantage

• Retailers that invest in crafting smooth customer experiences across the digital and physical worlds, and that focus on engaging, personalized loyalty programs, are likely to see benefits. Companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Target and Walmart, which use technology to enhance customer interactions, personalization and loyalty initiatives, are making notable strides in the market.
• Retailers embracing and applying cutting-edge technologies are positioned to reap rewards. For example, Macy’s, Sephora, Shein and ThredUp are deploying AI solutions to boost customer experiences, streamline operations and enhance overall business performance.
• Disruptive, challenger brands, such as Glossier and Skims, aiming to carve out a niche or challenge traditional retail models, can leverage Shoptalk to network, present their products and connect with potential investors or partners.
• Brands and retailers that focus on brand strength, transparency and ethical practices—such as Coty—are likely to gain an edge in a market where consumers increasingly prioritize trust in their shopping choices.
• Retailers aiming to create a cohesive shopping experience by integrating online and offline channels, such as Home Depot, L’Oreal and The Michaels Companies, are likely to stand out with omnichannel shoppers.
• Retailers such as Nordstrom that leverage existing resources, including customer data and digital platforms, can uncover new revenue streams that are less reliant on fluctuations in consumer spending.

Implications for Technology Vendors

• Shoptalk Fall offers an opportunity to gain insights into industry trends, regulatory updates and emerging partnerships, enabling technology vendors to adjust their strategies. The event also includes Shoptalk’s Meetup meetings program, and presents other valuable networking opportunities, allowing technology vendors to meet potential clients, partners, investors and industry specialists, which can help them build connections and grow their business networks.

Notes and Methodology

Shoptalk 2024 Fall agenda details are accurate as of September 17, 2024.

Coresight Research market sizes typically include multi-year projections generated through proprietary machine learning models. These models identify correlations between historical data sets and a range of exogenous values, and generate projections based on selected indicators, adjusting for factors such as seasonality and outliers. Experienced sector analysts review and may adjust those automated projections based on qualitative factors and industry knowledge.

Informing the data in this report are multiple online surveys conducted by Coresight Research:

• Two surveys of US consumers aged 18+. Unless otherwise stated, survey results have a margin of error of +/- 5%, with a 95% confidence level.
• 404 respondents, surveyed on July 8, 2024 about shopping channel preferences
• 401 respondents, surveyed on March 25, 2024 about loyalty program membership
• A survey of 100 CPG/FMCG brand manufacturers based in the US, conducted during August 16–29, 2023. The results have a margin of error of +/-10%. Respondents in the survey satisfied the following criteria:
• Company—revenues of at least $100 million in the most recent financial year
• Position—involved in strategic decision-making for advertising and holding responsibility across C-suite, Division President/GM, EVP/SVP/VP and Director/Senior Director
• Departments—e-commerce, marketing, merchandising and executive team